The co-operative sector in New South Wales and the Australian Capital
Territory consisted of 691 and 5 co-operatives respectively
(excluding financial mutuals) in
2009, comprising 40% of the
total number of co-operatives in Australia.
1

Co-operatives first appeared in NSW in the mid 19th century. Retail
co-operatives, also known
as Rochdale stores,
were formed in 1860's and spread
throughout NSW in following years. Agricultural co-operatives emerged in the
1880's among dairy
farmers on the state's south east coast.
2

The first specific legislation for co-operatives in NSW was the
Building and Co-operative Societies Act
1901.
In 1924, NSW co-operatives were brought under the administration of the
Co-operation Act 1923,
which was the principal law for co-operatives in that state until
1993, when the NSW government
enacted the
Co-operatives Act 1992.
In 1996,
the
government signed up to the national
Co-operatives Laws Agreement,
and in 1997 amended its 1992 act to adopt the "core consistent provisions"
from the Victorian
Co-operatives Act 1996.

Today, co-operatives in NSW are involved in a wide range of
economic and
social
activities. There are over 180
distributing co-operatives
in the agricultural, fishing,
retail,
transport, water and wholesale trade industries, and more than 500
non distributing co-operatives
in the accommodation and food services,
arts and recreation, education and training, health care, housing, media, and
services industries.

The first legislation for co-operatives in the Australian Capital
Territory was the
Co-operative Trading Societies Ordinance Act 1939.
Like NSW, the
ACT Government signed up to the
Co-operatives Laws Agreement
and replaced its ordinance with the
Co-operatives Act 2002.

The following are links to NSW and ACT co-operatives with websites. Some
co-operatives are listed more than once due to their activities covering more
than one industry.